Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Kimali.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Kimali.
The new Impatiens is a product of a planned breeding program Inventor in Gensingen, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new Impatiens cultivars with interesting and unique flower and foliage colors.
The new Impatiens originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in September, 1997 of the Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Grenada, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,343, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection identified as OB 677, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The cultivar Kimali was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Gensingen, Germany in April, 1998.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Gensingen, Germany, since May, 1998, has shown that the unique features of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Kimalixe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Kimalixe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Impatiens cultivar:
1. Rounded, upright and compact plant habit.
2. Freely branching growth habit; bushy appearance.
3. Dark green-colored foliage.
4. Freely flowering habit with flowers positioned above or beyond the foliage.
5. Light red orange-colored flowers.
Plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Grenada, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens are broader than plants of the cultivar Grenada.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens have more green-colored leaves than plants of the cultivar Grenada.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens flower slightly later than plants of the cultivar Grenada.
4. Plants of the new Impatiens have larger and flatter flowers than plants of the cultivar Grenada.
5. Flowers of plants of the new Impatiens do not have a distinct eye whereas flowers of plants of the cultivar Grenada have a distinct eye.
Plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the male parent, the selection OB 677, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens are not as vigorous as plants of the selection OB 677.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens have more green-colored leaves than plants of the selection OB 677.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens flower earlier than plants of the selection OB 677.
4. Plants of the new Impatiens have light red orange-colored flowers whereas plants of the selection OB 677 have dark pink bi-colored flowers.
Plants of the new Impatiens can be compared to plants of the cultivar Timor, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,144. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gensingen, Germany, plants of the new Impatiens differed from plants of the cultivar Timor in the following characteristics:
1. Leaves of plants of the new Impatiens were not as glossy as leaves of plants of the cultivar Timor.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens had larger and flatter flowers than plants of the cultivar Timor.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens flowered slightly later than plants of the cultivar Timor.
4. Plants of the new Impatiens had light red orange-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar Timor had bright orange-colored flowers.